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Homemade Ranch Dressing

This Homemade Ranch Dressing is a staple in our refrigerator. Once you taste this homemade ranch, you may never go back to store bought again. It is loaded with flavor and perfectly creamy. You can make homemade ranch dressing easily with a few simple ingredients. We use it not only as a dressing for salad but also for a dip for veggies, chicken tenders and even pizza! Once you and your family see how good it is, you might just want to put it on anything and everything. This recipe is a keeper!

Homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe

I am so crazy excited to share this recipe with you guys today. Ranch is pretty much part of the culture growing up in Texas, and having lived away for awhile now I have found that not everyone understands how incredibly delicious ranch dressing can be when it is made from scratch!

I use these to make the traditional homemade ranch dressing in this post, but also have a dairy free ranch dressing, and use this to season everything from chicken to veggies to my favorite potatoes ever! You really can throw a little of this seasoning on anything and it makes it insanely delicious. It’s like cooking magic, right?!

What to serve Homemade Ranch Dressing with

Before we get into the recipe, I wanted to take a few minutes to tell you some of my favorite ways to use this delicious ranch dressing.

Over Salads– Duh! This is of course the #1 use of ranch dressing but you can’t leave it out just because it is obvious. You can make a basic side salad or you can do something fancier like a BBQ Ranch Chicken salad.

As a Dip– Pretty much anything tastes good dipped in ranch, but some of our favorites are carrots, celery, pepper strips. cherry tomatoes, snap peas, broccoli, cauliflower etc. You can also use it as a dip for meats or other main dishes. My kids love to dip chicken nuggets and pizza in ranch.

On Bowls– You can make a killer grain bowl with this ranch dressing. The last time we had this ranch, these bowls were a hit with everyone from my husband to my 3 year old. They are so good. Make some quinoa (or rice, or farro, or whatever grain you like) and top with a hearty bunch of your favorite veggies. I used carrots, celery, bell pepper, green onion, and cucumber. Add protein and cheese if you like, then drizzle ranch over the top and toss everything to coat. SO GOOD!

On Nachos– In this house, the answer usually involves nachos. And one of the best ways to make them is on a sheet pan in the oven then drizzle them with creamy ranch dressing. You can see my Baked Chicken Nacho recipe here and my BBQ Ranch Chicken Nachos here.

On anything Buffalo Chicken! You name it, wings, buffalo chicken casserole, or buffalo chicken pizza, add some ranch and you take the whole thing up a notch!

These are just a few of my literally hundreds of ways you can use this dressing! If you have a favorite way you like to serve, dip, drizzle or eat ranch, I would love to hear about it in the comments so I can give it a try!

How to Make Homemade Ranch Dressing

This recipe is super simple and mostly a dump and wait kind of recipe. I am going to walk through a few notes with you here so that I can answer any questions that may arise while making this recipe. There is a full, printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Ranch Dressing Ingredients

2 tbsp homemade ranch seasoning- You can use this recipe for a small batch or this recipe for a big batch of ranch seasoning. Both are gluten free.

1 cup mayonnaise- Only use real mayonnaise here. It makes a big impact on the flavor so although it is great for some things, it just isn’t for this recipe.

1 cup buttermilk- Buttermilk is one of the keys to giving it that signature ranch flavor! You can add additional buttermilk at the end if you would like a thinner consistency.

1/2 cup sour cream- You can use regular or light sour cream.

2 tbsp dill pickle juice- When I first developed my dairy free ranch dressing recipe, a reader gave me a tip to use pickle juice to thin my ranch dressing. It was such a great idea and I have been hooked ever since! The tangy-ness of the pickle juice is the perfect compliment to the rich, creaminess of the dressing. You can also use additional pickle juice to thin the dressing at the end if desired.

Homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe Tips

Once you are ready to make the dressing, you are going to want to basically dump it all in a big bowl and whisk it until smooth. I really recommend using a whisk because it helps to really get the mayo combined with the buttermilk smoothly. You could also use an immersion blender or mixer if you wanted but I usually just keep it simple with a whisk.

The other really integral step is to give the dressing enough time to chill. Although it is super tempting to just dig right in, this recipe only gets better with a little bit of time. Since it is a mayonnaise based recipe, the mayo will really absorb and take on the flavors of the herbs in the ranch seasoning mix as it sets which gives the ranch the signature flavor we love instead of tasting mostly like mayo.

Last, this is the ratio that I really love when I make the dressing. Some people may prefer it thinner, or thicker. You might like it made stronger with even more seasonings. Or you may like a milder flavor. This recipe can easily be adapted for any of those if you feel confident to experiment a little! And if you do, please share your results with me in the comments! I would love to hear what you try and what works for you!

Storing Homemade Ranch Dressing

Once your dressing is made, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I have gotten a bit longer out of it, but because it is made with fresh ingredients you will want to make sure it stays chilled and be cognizant of the expiration dates on the individual ingredients.

I really hope that your family enjoys this Homemade Ranch Dressing as much as we do!

If you do get a chance to try it, I would love it if you let me know! You can leave me a comment below, or if you post a picture on Instagram, make sure to tag me @easyfamilyrecipes so that I can see what you are cooking up! It makes my day to see others enjoying the recipes that I share!

Oh and before you go!… If you need a regular rotation of recipe inspiration like me, make sure to sign up to get our emails! I send out my new favorites, the recipes my family has been devouring, and some of the best tried and true recipes. It is easy and free of course! You can click here to sign up.

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Prep10mins

Inactive1hour

Total1hour, 10mins

AuthorKimber

Yield3cups

This Homemade Ranch Dressing is a staple in our refrigerator. It is creamy and packed with flavor. You can use it as a topping on salad, for dipping veggies, or drizzle over nachos or pizza. However you eat it, it is so, so delicious!!

Instructions

Notes

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.

This recipe is gluten free, if you are also looking for dairy free ranch try this recipe.

Nutrition facts provided based on my best estimation for the recipe and may not be accurate depending on what brands you use or modifications you make to the recipe. I recommend using a nutrition calculator with the exact brands and measurements you use for the most accurate calculation.